Mike Davis returns to Assembly Hall

[Josh 12,723]

One more for those of you who don't remember:

 

Davis went as far as to blame discontented Indiana fans for his players' inability to focus and perform.  The Hoosiers, Davis claims, just can't execute at a high level when their coach is being unmercifully crucified by the good old boys.

 

An article by Jason Whitlock

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/060216

[CampHoosier 3,697]

"You must not be from Indiana," he said. "I have a difficult job. … They all think they're very, very, very good. I'm sick and tired of people telling my guys how good they are. … There's nothing wrong with my coaching philosophy. There are just some things I've got to think about, to win and to be the coach I need to be."

 

That says it all. 

[CampHoosier 3,697]

Not to make this a Crean thread, but I definitely can draw comparisons sometimes between these comments. Crean is very hesitant to put blame on himself or his game plan and it bugs the crap out of me. If you consistently are preaching something and it isn't working on the court, it's time to change it up. It's one thing to not have the talent to execute a game plan, it's another to have a game plan that sets the team up to fail. Northwestern last year was a perfect example of this. 

[Hutch89 2,939]

Instead of Booing Davis, let's just beat the tar out of his team on the court.  

 

'nuff sed. 

[Josh 12,723]

Not to make this a Crean thread, but I definitely can draw comparisons sometimes between these comments. Crean is very hesitant to put blame on himself or his game plan and it bugs the crap out of me. If you consistently are preaching something and it isn't working on the court, it's time to change it up. It's one thing to not have the talent to execute a game plan, it's another to have a game plan that sets the team up to fail. Northwestern last year was a perfect example of this. 

True, but Crean has never blamed losses on me.

[Josh 12,723]

Instead of Booing Davis, let's just beat the tar out of his team on the court.  

 

'nuff sed. 

Agreed.  I won't boo the turd, but I certainly won't cheer him.  I hope we whoop his team by 50.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Just when I get ready to slam Davis for his immaturity---- struggles at IU---not being ready for primetime ---questionable coaching, etc.---- I think about how I would have reacted if I went from a no-name assistant coach outside the spotlight to the head basketball coach at one of the greatest basketball programs in the nation---and then had to follow an Indiana legend in Bob Knight---and then had to please a pissed off fanbase---half of which hated me.  I realize Davis received a gift and he may have begged for it----but he was destined to fail. Anything he did was going to be compared to "The General's" accomplishments and he was not ready for that scrutiny. I will politely cheer him on for what he was able to accomplish under the toughest of circumstances.

 

We are so quick to blame Mike Davis---but maybe--just maybe-- the blame should go to the IU administration who gave him a job he wasn't ready for in the first place! 

[JSHoosier 20,462]

Just when I get ready to slam Davis for his immaturity---- struggles at IU---not being ready for primetime ---questionable coaching, etc.---- I think about how I would have reacted if I went from a no-name assistant coach outside the spotlight to the head basketball coach at one of the greatest basketball programs in the nation---and then had to follow an Indiana legend in Bob Knight---and then had to please a pissed off fanbase---half of which hated me.  I realize Davis received a gift and he may have begged for it----but he was destined to fail. Anything he did was going to be compared to "The General's" accomplishments and he was not ready for that scrutiny. I will politely cheer him on for what he was able to accomplish under the toughest of circumstances.

 

We are so quick to blame Mike Davis---but maybe--just maybe-- the blame should go to the IU administration who gave him a job he wasn't ready for in the first place! 

Mike Davis did plenty to get every last bit of criticism he received.  Some of which was linked here, but he also played the race card to get an undeserved raise.

 

I won't boo him, but I sure as heck will not cheer for him.

[ou812dude 3,326]

I read these comments and quite frankly, I can associate with the folks that despise Davis and the ones that are indifferent to him...

however...

this thread, as well as the one's about Crean...remind us all of the difficult task of following a legend.

 

UCLA went through it...hell...they are still going through it...(fired a guy that went to 4 straight final 4s...wow)

UK went through it after Rupp, but rebounded quite nicely, in terms of being able to get back to the championship...

(Rupp left UK in 1972 due to pressure from BBN for only making 1 Final Four in his final 12 years...let that sink in for a moment)

UNC and Kansas hit bumps in the road but rebounded...

 

I think IU will eventually get back to where Hoosiers expect...but it's not a given, and it's probably gonna take longer than you have patience for...

[Josh 12,723]

 

We are so quick to blame Mike Davis---but maybe--just maybe-- the blame should go to the IU administration who gave him a job he wasn't ready for in the first place! 

There's some truth to this.  But if we do this, shouldn't we go back further to the people forcing the administration the hire him....the players that year?

 

IIRC, the team insisted that the admins hire either assistant Mike Davis or assistant John Treloar.  Since it was mid September with a season around the corner, who were they going to hire?  The players were upset their coach was fired and they insisted that Davis or Treloar be hired or else they threatened to sit the season.  I know that Dane Fife was a major leader in this.

 

Perhaps the administration hired the wrong assistant, perhaps Treloar would have been just as bad (looking at his bio now I really doubt it).  The administration was definitely forced by the team and a September firing.

 

I'm not sure who to blame for all that.  I've definitely held a grudge against Fife, but I'm not sure anybody deserves blame except for Davis himself.  How dare he turn my team into garbage and then blame me.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

I loved Fife as a player and the passion and fire he brought to the game---but you don't let college students call the shots and pick the next basketball coach at one of the top programs in the country from 2 applicants:  Treolar or Davis. That is ridiculous! Sure the boys threatened to quit or this or that---heck they were mad and hurt just like the rest of us were!  The way the firing was handled and the timing were awful.  The administration should have brought in a big name coach to convince the boys to stay and to remind them that they do not play for a coach---they play for IU!  Do you think the boys would have really forfeited their scholarships or refused to play in the NCAA tourney unless Davis was hired? I don't think so. The administration should have stepped in and not let a few college basketball players hold IU's BBall program hostage--demanding ransom in the form of an inexperienced coach. If the reports are true, and that is how it really went down, then it is so wrong on so many levels and IU basketball has paid for it every since!   SAD!